Transformative Critical Service-Learning

Dr. Heather Coffey is a Professor in the Department of Middle, Secondary and K-12 Education at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. She serves as the Director of the UNC Charlotte Writing Project and the Teaching Fellows Program. Dr. Coffey's primary teaching responsibilities include graduate English language arts methods as well as service-learning courses. Her research interests include ways to develop critical literacy with urban learners, bridging the gap between educational theory and practice in teacher education, and supporting in-service teachers in urban school settings through professional development. Dr. Coffey's record of publication includes book chapters and articles in refereed practitioner and research journals. She is currently investigating the ways in which urban learners can develop agency through research and writing and work for social justice in their communities. Heather is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina and considers herself lucky to be partnering with the community that supported her growth and development throughout her childhood. When she is not teaching, researching, and serving, Heather enjoys running and hiking in the mountains with her husband, two daughters, and sweet labradoodle, Finn.